In a world obsessive about fame and celebrity that’s hip-hop, optics are every thing. In an quick you possibly can be up; the next minute you could be depressed, not even necessarily due to something you probably did, but due to how something you might be related to looks to the whole world. This is the space Drake is in at once.

November 25, 2024 Drake filed a lawsuit in a New York court alleging that Universal Music Group (UMG), the company that distributes his and Kendrick Lamar’s music, effectively used payola and shady industry moves through streamers to inflate the popularity of Kendrick Lamar’s summer hit and Drake’s diss track, “Not like us.” In fact, Drake claims that without help, the song would not be as popular because it is today industry rule number 4080: “Record company people are shady.”

The irony of that is delicious. Let’s assume this petition finally ends up being a full lawsuit – at this point it’s only a petition and not a lawsuit, although the goal is to assemble information to file a lawsuit – it will also should end in Drake being unmasked. According to Drake, we must always consider that Kendrick Lamar’s summer hit, which overshadowed one in all the funniest rappers in many years, wouldn’t have been as successful had UMG not engaged in questionable business practices. But what’s the scoop there? Should a song only be 75 percent successful? Would that make a difference?

Is the reason my four-year-old likes to say “OV-Hoe” because UMG greased the wheels, or is it because the song is STD-level catchy? Who hasn’t listened to this song this summer? Seriously, I’d like to satisfy someone who’s concerned with popular culture but has only heard it once. I actually am accountable for hundreds of performances. This happened due to the beef and because someone was precisely turning the Boy over. Some things are excellent for everybody.

Conversely, let’s be honest, without these same industry practices, Drake won’t be as wealthy and successful as he’s today. Literally. Drake went from a no person to a any individual almost overnight. It has an awesome story, but come on; A Kendrick song would not catch on organically, but Drake’s entire catalog is so helpful and profitable simply because everyone liked him? This is just silly – and Drake must realize it. Maybe that is the point; possibly Drake knows who’s behind the curtain and has decided that his ethics and morals can now not allow such a king appointment to return at the expense of cultural integrity, especially now that he’s good.

And look, as an instance Drake’s bottom line is that the label distributing his work is using the money he helped them to take part in his destruction. If that is his ultimate goal, then bravo Drake – law school will likely be lunch as Aubrey Drake Graham exposes the shadows of the music industry!

Except hip-hop doesn’t care about law school courses. Hip-hop cares about culture and what Drake just did, when it comes to hip-hop culture, was call the police on Kendrick Lamar because he was being pinned down in a battle where he assumed his brand and popularity would help him win. It looks like Drake is saying that nobody should like “Not Like Us” as much as they do, and it should not be nominated for all those Grammys, and the music video shouldn’t have 200 million views or almost a billion streams on Spotify. The petition (and let’s be honest, a possible lawsuit) states that Kendrick Lamar would not be experiencing the moment he’s having if it weren’t for help at Drake’s expense. This brand now not looks like Teflon in the light.

Drake doesn’t seem to grasp how hip-hop culture works in any respect, which is something I have not claimed before. I’m not one to argue that Drake is just a voyeur using black popular culture for his own gain; this approach at all times seemed very, very unfair. And yet here we’re.

First, getting involved in the law is as hip-hop because it gets. Drake is a snitch now. He looks like the colonizer Kendrick accused him of being in “Not Like Us”; initial text “euphoria” they appear really accurate in the light. Instead of being a man who lost a hip-hop battle, Drake looks like Karen. Is there a shadow coming? Maybe. Probably. The industry is thought for shady practices and constant stiffing of artists. As they are saying, what is thought doesn’t must be explained. But that is public opinion and open secrets, not legal motion. The problem is that Drake filed a motion looking for information that will enable him to bring a case. He doesn’t even have proof, yet he filed a motion to court. He made the laws, brother.

Hey, Drake – Karen called and wants her glass back.

Optics are every thing. Drake called the police because he lost the battle and social media was respiratory down his neck; that is what the whole thing is. Especially since the legal part is irrelevant to hip-hop’s credibility. No one except the labels (and Drake, I assume) cares the way it ends.

Sure, when the dust settles, we’ll all speak about it, yes, yes, yes, yes, but people will at all times keep in mind that Drake filed a lawsuit against Kendrick Lamar over “Not Like Us.” As of now, Kendrick is not even mentioned in the petition; only a label. Culturally, nonetheless, Drake is taking aim at Kendrick in court over a battle he’s losing with each passing day. 2024 was a hopeless yr for The Boy.

I actually wonder what was going through the minds of Drake and his team after they decided it was time to withdraw this petition, knowing that it will have the very same effect on his appearance. I do not understand this game in any respect.

I’m sure some Drake apologist will tell us it’s chess, not checkers, but if that’s the case, possibly Drake is not good at chess either.